The present patent application claims the benefit of earlier Japanese Patent Application Nos. H11-157774, filed on Jun. 4, 1999, and 2000-092302, filed on Mar. 29, 2000, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fixing clip for fixing an article onto walls, panels, or the like, via through-holes, in a detachable manner, and to an interior module with a fixing clip. The fixing clip is suitably used to secure a sun visor or an assist grip onto a lining or a ceiling trim of an automobile. The interior module with a fixing clip is applied to, for example, a ceiling panel or a body panel of an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, sun visors are furnished above the front sheets of an automobile in order to protect the driver""s eyes and the passenger""s eyes from the sun. The sun visor is generally attached to the ceiling panel of an automobile by a fixing clip that holds one end of the shaft of the sun visor in a rotatable manner. Such a conventional fixing clip generally has a base, on which a grommet for receiving the shaft of the sun visor is monolithically formed, and stoppers for elastically supporting the base onto the body panel.
With this fixing clip, the stoppers have to be inserted into a through-hole formed in the panel in order to fix the base onto the panel. However, the stoppers generally greatly extend outward in order to support the base onto the panel via the through-hole. It is troublesome to insert the stoppers into the through-hole, and in addition, the rim of the sun visor often hits the front window or the room mirror.
Recently, several parts or accessories are temporarily fixed to a lining or a ceiling trim in advance, prior to shipping to an assembly plant. This process is so-called modularization. The modularized lining or ceiling trim is assembled into an automobile, and the parts and the accessories temporarily attached to the lining or the ceiling trim are finally fixed to the ceiling panel or the body panel of the automobile.
For example, in order to secure a ceiling module, in which sun visors are temporarily attached by fixing clips to a ceiling trim, to the ceiling panel, the elastic stoppers extending outward from the ceiling module have to be inserted into a through-hole formed in the ceiling panel again. This process is troublesome.
To overcome this problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H7-069054 proposes a holder structure having screw grommets, as stoppers, which are monolithically formed on a base. FIG. 1A illustrates such a holder with screw grommets in a perspective view, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the screw grommet taken along the Axe2x80x94A line of FIG. 1A.
The holder 10 has a base 11, a shaft holder 12 for receiving the shaft of a sun visor, and a pair of barrel-shaped half grommets 13. The half grommet 13 is formed of an elastic material, and consists of two half shells separated by a vertical groove. The shaft holder 12 and the half grommets 13 are inserted in the corresponding through-holes 18 formed in advance in an interior panel 16. Since the half grommets 13 are barrel-shaped with their upper portions tapered, they are easily inserted into the associated through-holes 18. After the insertion, the half grommet 13 is stopped by the edge of the through-hole 18 at the center swelling, as shown in FIG. 1B by the solid lines. This state is a temporarily fixed state.
To finally fix the holder 10, a screw pin 15 is inserted from the bottom of the half grommet 13 between the half shells 13a, as indicated by the virtual lines in FIG. 1B. The insertion of the pin 15 causes the two elastic half shells 13a to open outward. This state is a finally fixed state.
However, this structure disclosed in H7-69054 requires multiple holes to be formed in advanced in the interior panel 16 at a precise configuration. Furthermore, since the half grommet 13 is merely swelled in the middle, it is very likely that the holder 10 comes out from the interior panel 16 by, for example, vibration during shipping or transportation because the holder is temporarily fixed to the interior panel 16 without the pin 15. In addition, it is troublesome to fix and detach the holder 10 to and from the panel 16 using a screw pin. Using the screw pin also deteriorates the appearance of the holder 10 when it is applied to the interior of an automobile.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to overcome these problems in the prior art, and to provide a fixing clip which allows a sun visor or an assist grip to be attached to a ceiling panel or a ceiling trim of an automobile easily and reliably.
It is another object of the invention to provide a fixing clip which can be switched between a temporarily fixed state and a finally fixed state in a simply manner.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an interior module, in which one or more fixing clips are assembled into a lining in a temporarily fixed state. This interior module facilitates assembling interior components of an automobile.
In one aspect of the invention, a fixing clip fixes an article onto a panel via a through-hole formed therein. Such an article generally has a shaft, which is to be held by the fixing clip. The through-hole has a front edge and a rear edge. The fixing clip includes a base having a front end, a rear end, and an opening; a shaft holder formed on the base and for receiving the shaft of the article; and a lid connected to the rear end of the base. The shaft holder has a side wall. The fixing clip has a first stopper that is a portion of the area on the side wall of the shaft holder and that faces the front end of the base, and a second stopper positioned along one side of the opening, facing the rear end of the base. When the fixing clip is attached to the panel, the first stopper comes into frictional contact with the front edge of the through-hole, and the second stopper catches the rear edge of the through-hole.
The lid is capable of swinging between an open position, which is in a temporarily fixed state, and a closed position, which is in a finally fixed state. The lid has a projection on its inner face, and the projection is fit into the opening of the base when the lid is closed.
Preferably, the base has an arched front end and a substantially straight rear end. Preferably, the side wall of the shaft holder is a conical wall, and the first stopper is a portion of the area on the conical wall, extending horizontally along the conical wall.
The fixing clip further has a third stopper extending from the side wall of the shaft holder above the first stopper and toward the front end of the base; and a fourth stopper projecting from the side wall of the shaft holder between the first stopper and the third stopper. The third stopper is a tail-like stopper made of an elastic material and extends obliquely downward having a crook near the end. When the fixing clip is attached to the panel, the crook elastically pushes the surroundings of the through-hole.
The second stopper has a ridge facing the rear end of the base in order to catch the rear edge of the through-hole. The distance from the crook of the third stopper to the front edge of the through-hole is set greater than the distance from the top of the ridge of the second stopper to the rear edge of the through-hole. This arrangement allows the entire weight of the article, such as a sun visor or an assist grip, to be reliably supported.
With the lid open in the temporarily fixed state, the first through fourth stoppers catch the periphery of the through-hole. Accordingly, the fixing clip is reliably attached to the panel even in the temporarily state.
The fixing clip further has a pair of fifth stoppers, positioned along two opposing sides of the opening. The projection of the lid has a pair of pushing pieces on the top. When the lid is closed, the projection is fit into the opening of the base, and pushes the rear face of the fifth stoppers outward. This arrangement enhances the engagement between the fifth stoppers and the edges of the through-hole, and ensures the finally fixed state.
In the second aspect of the invention, an interior module, in which a lining and fixing clips are assembled together, is provided. The interior module comprises a lining having one or more through-holes, each through-hole having a front edge and a rear edge; and one or more fixing clips. Each fixing clip includes a base having a front end, a rear end, and an opening; a shaft holder formed on the base and for receiving a shaft of an article. The shaft holder has, preferably, a conical wall. Each fixing clip also has at least a first stopper and a second stopper. The first stopper is a portion of the area on the conical wall of the shaft holder and in contact with the front edge of the through-hole. The second stopper is positioned facing the rear end of the base, and in contact with the rear edge of the through-hole.
The fixing clip further has a lid connected to the rear end of the base so as to be capable of swinging between an open position and a closed position. The lid has a projection on its inner face. To finally fix the interior module onto a panel, the lip is closed and the projection is fit into the opening of the base. In this state, the fixing clip is firmly engaged with the panel.
In the third aspect of the invention, a fixing clip comprises a base, an opening formed in the base, a shaft holder formed on the base and for receiving a shaft of an article, and a lid connected to the rear end of the base. The opening is shaped in an inverse-T having a neck. A first stopper projects from the side wall of the shaft holder, and extends laterally so as to face the front end of the base. The first stopper has a bottom face substantially parallel to the top face of the base and a vertical face extending from the bottom face. The lid has a projection extending from its inner face, and is capable of swinging between an open position and a closed position. A second stopper is formed on the projection. When the lid is closed, the second stopper is fit into the neck of the opening of the base. This fixing clip is attached to a panel via a through-hole formed therein. The through-hole has a front edge and a rear edge. With the lid open, the bottom face of the first stopper is in light contact with the front edge of the through-hole. When the lid is closed, the second stopper is fit into the neck of the opening, and pushes the rear edge of the through-hole, generating a reaction force. The reaction force causes the fixing clip to move toward the front edge of the through-hole. Accordingly, the bottom face and the vertical face of the first stopper come into tight contact with the front edge of the through-hole.
The fixing clip further has a pair of third stoppers standing from either side of the neck of the opening. Each of the third stoppers has a leg, an inclined piece extending obliquely downward from the top of the leg, and an elastic piece extending horizontally from the lower end of the inclined piece.
In the fourth aspect of the invention, an interior module, in which one or more fixing clips are incorporated in a lining, is provided. The interior module includes a lining having one or more through-holes, each through-hole having a front edge and a rear edge; and one or more fixing clips. Each clip comprises a base having a front end and a rear end; an opening formed in the base and shaped in an inverse-T having a neck; and a shaft holder formed on the base and for receiving a shaft of an article. The shaft holder has a side wall, which is preferably a conical wall. A first stopper projects from the side wall of the shaft holder, extending laterally. The first stopper is in contact with the front edge of the associated through-hole. A lid is connected to the rear end of the base so as to be capable of swinging between an open position and a closed position. The lid has a projection extending from its inner face. A second stopper is formed on the projection.
The fixing clips are arranged so that the lines connecting from the rear ends of the bases to the first stoppers are parallel to each other and point in the same direction. This arrangement allows the interior module to be fixed to a panel without being crinkled even when the lid is closed to finally fix the fixing clip to the panel.